Assessing needs
Quality statement
We maximise the effectiveness of people’s care and treatment by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.
- I have care and support that is co-ordinated, and everyone works well together and with me.
- I have care and support that enables me to live as I want to, seeing me as a unique person with skills, strengths and goals.
Summary
People with care and support needs, including unpaid carers, those who fund or arrange their own care and communities have the best possible wellbeing outcomes. This is because:
- their care and support needs are assessed in a timely and consistent way
- assessments and care and support plans are co-produced, up-to-date and regularly reviewed
- support is co-ordinated across different agencies and services
- decisions and outcomes are transparent.
People's care and support reflects their right to choice, builds on their strengths and assets, and reflects what they want to achieve and how they wish to live their lives.
Related sections of the Care Act
- Section 1: Wellbeing principle
- Sections 9-13: Assessing needs
- Section 14(1) and (3) to (8); Section 17(1) and (3) to (13): Charging and assessing financial resources
- Section 18(1)(a), (c); (2) to (4), (6) and (7); Section 19-20: Duties and powers to meet needs
- Sections 24(1), (2) and 25, sections 26(1) and (3) and 27: Next steps after assessment
- Sections 60-64: Young carer's and child's carers assessments
- Section 67: Independent advocacy support (involvement in assessments, plans etc.)
Required evidence
People’s experience
- Direct feedback from:
- people with care and support needs
- unpaid carers
- people who fund or arrange their own care, those close to them and their advocates
- Feedback from people obtained by community and voluntary groups. For example:
- advocacy groups
- adult and young person’s carers groups
- faith groups
- groups representing people who are more likely to have a poorer experience of care and poorer outcomes
- people with protected equality characteristics
- Feedback that people have sent to the local authority and feedback it has gathered itself through surveys or focus groups
- Feedback from CQC's Give feedback on care facility (if available)
- Compliments and complaints
- Healthwatch
- Survey of Adult Carers (SACE), Adult Social Care Survey (ASCS) - see detailed metrics
- Case tracking
Feedback from staff and leaders
- Principal social worker
- Principal occupational therapist
- Local authority initial contact teams or frontline triage team
- Assessment and care management staff, social workers and any specialist teams
- Out-of-hours duty teams
- Commissioners
- Council adult social care portfolio holder
- Overview and scrutiny committee
- Director of adult social services
- The local authority’s self-assessment of its performance for the quality statement
If available, feedback from the local authority’s:
- Staff carers network
- Staff (from surveys)
- Local authority equality, diversity and inclusion lead(s)
- Peer review
Processes
- Assessment, care planning and review, including processes and pathways from first contact with the local authority
- Timeliness of assessments, care planning and care reviews
- Arrangements for determining eligibility for Care Act assessments, support and care funding. Appeals made against decisions.
- Adult Social Care Financial Returns and Short and Long-Term Support (ASCFR - SALT) - see detailed metrics
Feedback from partners
- Community and voluntary sector groups, including those representing:
- people who are more likely to have a poorer experience of care and poorer outcomes
- people with protected equality characteristics
- unpaid carers
- Local health partners
- Allied health professionals
- Care providers
- Health and wellbeing board
- Advocacy providers
If available:
- Local Government Social Care Ombudsman feedback
- SEND reviews.
- Reports from Ofsted for inspecting local authority children's services (ILACS)
Outcomes
We will not look at evidence under this category.
Best practice and guidance
- Care and support statutory guidance, chapters 6 to 13: Care Act: GOV.UK
- Proportional assessment approaches in adult social care: DHSC
- The Care Act and whole family approaches (carers.org)
- Determination of eligibility under the Care Act 2014: Social Care Institute for Excellence
- Improving the experience of care and support for people using adult social care services: NICE NG86
- Supporting people who provide unpaid care for adults with health or social care needs, quick guide: NICE
- Supporting Adult Carers: NICE NG150
- No wrong doors for young carers: Carers Trust
- Older people with social care needs and multiple long-term conditions: NICE NG22
- Care and support of people growing older with learning disabilities: NICE NG96
- Social work for adults experiencing complex needs: NICE NG216
- The Good Lives Framework: Learning Disability England
- Enabling positive lives for autistic adults, quick guide: NICE
- Making it real: how to do personalised care and support: Think Local Act Personal (TLAP)
- Strengths-based social work: practice framework and handbook: GOV.UK
- Challenging adult social care decisions: Equality and Human Rights Commission
- Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice